What a day! What a church! What a Savior! Thank God for the guests who joined us in worship. Praise God for the 9 persons who were baptized. Our Genesis Choir (children) sang for the first time since their summer break. Hailey, my 4-year-old, participated for the first time. Well, "Participated" is a strong word. She stood there and watched herself in the TV monitors, for the most part. I prayed for our Bible Study Fellowship (Sunday School) teachers and workers. Our new semester of classes begins next week. Grateful for a strong group of volunteers. You make it happen! Our 10:15...

Thanks for reading my blog. And thanks for the comments, discussions, and encouragements. In order to get email updates of future posts, please sign up under the picture to the left of the page. Shout-out to Pastor Darron Edwards and the United Believers Community Church for the warm reception as I ministered the Word there in Kansas City (MO) Tuesday night. Shout-out to Dr. Tellis Chapman and the Late-Night Committee for giving me the opportunity to preach in the National Baptist Convention Thursday night. During the service Thursday night, someone slipped me a note to thank me for my father's ministry....

Why? Why do we do what we do? What is our ultimate goal? Why do we dress as we dress? Why do we allot time as we do in our services? Why do we preach as we preach? Why do we sing, and why do we sing it the way we do? Do we care about what the world will think of our activities? Where is God in all this? Do we seek to meet Him in His truth, begging the Spirit to use the word to reveal to us the depths of our on hearts so that we may...

The preacher reads a text. He states his title. He gives the introduction. He states the point. He then prepares to move to the main body of the sermon. He announces this transition to the congregation by saying, "Let me say three things about this text." Not good. You have chosen a specific text. You have worked to craft the point of the message in a clear sentence. You have chosen an attention-grabbing title. You have crafted a compelling introduction. You have a powerful message to deliver. Don't stumble into the text by tripping over "things." Don't get into an accident...

I shared a funny experience with several friends. They thought it was funny, too. I knew they would. “I almost died laughing,” I concluded the story. Then it happened. One of them stopped me. “Pastor, don’t say that,” he insisted with alarm. “You don’t want to speak that into existence.” I was confused. Where was this coming from? What was he talking about? Why was it a crisis that I used a figure of speech? He cited Proverbs 18:21. Actually, he only quoted half of the verse. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love...

Whatever you do, work hardily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. - Colossians 2:23-24 (ESV) Have a happy, safe, and blessed Labor Day!  

It’s September already. Wow. We have a blessed day of corporate worship at Shiloh today. Thanks to all our Bible Study Fellowship (Sunday School) workers for making yourself available to serve the congregation today. You make it happen! I am grateful for all the guests who were in worship with us today. Even though my voice is gone, I enjoyed leading the congregation in corporate singing today. The choir sang one of my favorite Richard Smallwood numbers, “I Will Sing Praises.” I continued my study of 1 John with a message entitled, “What it Means to be a Child of...

Praying for all who have suffered loss and have been displaced by Hurricane Isaac. This week would have been my father's birthday. I miss him. But I am grateful for the time I had him and the continuing influence he has on my life and ministry. Shout-out to Pastor Frederick Williams and the Turkey Creek Baptist Church of Dublin, GA. I have the privilege of preaching to this wonderful congregation Monday-Wednesday. And I am encouraged by their love for Jesus and their community. A big shout-out to my staff for helping me not to make a big mess of things...

I am not a confrontational person. I loathe conflict. I prefer peace and quiet. Yet I accept the fact that some conflict is inevitable. Some conflict is necessary. A pastor should not look for fights. Men of God must not be quarrelsome (2 Tim. 2:24). At the same time, we must not run from the fights we must fight. We must show up for the battles that matter. We must not stoop at standing time. Tough decisions, difficult conversations, loving confrontations go along with the territory. It's called leadership. But a servant-leader must know when to push an issue and...

I am reading J.D. Grey’s Epitaphs for Eager Preachers. It was written before I was born – in 1972. I recently saw it on the pastor's shelf where I was preaching. And the title caught my attention. The late Dr. James David Grey was the pastor of First Baptist Church of New Orleans for 35 years and president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention in 1951-52. At forty-four, he was the youngest person ever elected to the SBC presidency. Beyond that, he apparently went by initials. Way cool. Early in the Epitaphs, Grey quotes an anonymous...

It has been a long day. It has been a long weekend. It has been a long weekend. I spent Saturday morning with our church deacons, during their annual retreat. I taught on "The Ministry of Deacons." It was a great time of study and fellowship. I look forward to our next time together. I am in Lexington, Kentucky. I was invited by a seminary classmate, Victor Sholar, to preach the 150th anniversary celebration at the Main Street Baptist Church. Pastor Sholar has served the Main Street Church for about a year, having relocated from Los Angeles. He is a...

Thanks, again, for your prayers and condolences, as we celebrated the life of Pastor Mike Rodgers yesterday. Please continue to keep the Rodgers family and the Shiloh Church in your prayers. A big shout-out to the staff, leaders, and volunteers of Shiloh for being on your post and serving the Rodgers family and our congregation in such a great way. You make it happen! I am praying for our Women's Ministry Retreat that is taking place this weekend. May it be a fruitful time of worship, study, and fellowship. Shout-out to Pastor Adron Robinson and the Hillcrest Baptist Church of...